Breaking down the ballots for the AP Top 25 and wrapping up college football’s seventh weekend.—MIGHTY MISSISSIPPIThe Mississippi-mania sweeping college football is more than just a temporary condition. It just keeps getting better for the Magnolia state’s Southeastern Conference teams.Mississippi State, a school with one SEC championship on its resume, is No. 1 in The Associated Press college football poll.Mississippi, which hasn’t won an SEC title since 1963, is still No. 3, but just a couple of points behind No. 2 Florida State.”I think it’s an affirmation of how good football has been for a long time in Mississippi,” said Rick Cleveland, the executive director of the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and a longtime newspaper columnist in the state. ”Now they’re recognizing the talent and keeping it home.”The Bulldogs and Rebels were even better Saturday than they were last week, when both had breakthrough victories at home.Mississippi State and Heisman Trophy contender Dak Prescott routed Auburn 38-23 in Starkville.Ole Miss and its nasty defense, led by tackle Robert Nkemdiche, dominated Texas A&M 35-21 in College Station, Texas.If you’re wondering, and you probably should be, the Rebels and Bulldogs play Nov. 29 in Oxford, the Saturday after Thanksgiving in what could be an Egg Bowl extravaganza.The Iron Bowl on the same day could end up being just an undercard, the way LSU-Florida and Alabama-Arkansas were Saturday.”It’s surreal,” said Cleveland, a Mississippi native.For the both the Rebels and Bulldogs, it’s been a startling rise after recent struggles. In the rugged SEC West, where Alabama (three national titles), LSU (two) and Auburn (one) have been the powers during the BCS era, the Mississippi schools have usually been relegated to the second division.In Starkville, coach Dan Mullen took over in 2009 and has steadily turned around a program that was flailing. Mullen, the former Florida offensive coordinator under Urban Meyer, is 42-28 at Mississippi State. The Bulldogs were 23-48 in the six seasons before Mullen arrived. View gallery Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott (15) walks through off the field following their 38-23 wi … Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze was hired after the Rebels went 2-10 in 2011. They won seven games his first season and eight last year. He landed one of the best recruiting classes in the country between his first and second seasons. Now the Rebels have their best ranking in the AP poll since 1964.So where do the Rebels and Bulldogs go from here?The Bulldogs could be in for a pretty good run at No. 1…
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